Means for removing underground street railways and their appurtenant structures



Dec. 23, 1958 GROUND STREET RAILWAYS AND THEIR APPURTENANT STRUCTURESFiled Oct. 10, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR KIRWAN -Y MESSICK Y wwlwATTORNEYS K. Y. MESSICK 2865,601 MEANS FOR nauovmc UNDER Dec. 23, 1958K. Y. MESSICK 2,

MEANS FOR mauovmc UNDERGROUND STREET RAILWAYS AND .THEIR APPURTENANTSTRUCTURES 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Oct. 10, 1956 v INVENTOR K IRWAN YMESSICK lam MM ATTORNEYS United .States Patent MEANS FOR REMOVINGUNDERGROUND STREET RAILVgAYS AND THEIR APPURTENAN T STRUC- TURE KirwanY. Messick, Arlington County, Va. Application October 10, 1956, SerialNo. 615,077

6 Claims. (Cl. 25490) This invention relates to an apparatus forremoving underground street railways and their appurtenant parts, fromcity streets when street car lines are to be abandoned. The railways tobe removed are those of the type in which the rails are exposed at thesurfaceof the street and electric power is taken by means of plowscarried by the street cars, from underground third rails, disposed inconduits extending lengthwise of and between the track rails.

The nature of the invention, its method of use and its advantages willbe best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of the apparatus of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a right hand end view of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a-perspective view of the conduit engaging plug, lift platesand part of the clamps, hereinafter described; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the cradles which support thetrack rails and the angle irons which define the slot in which thecurrent collecting plow travels, in the operation of a street car.

When electric street car lines are abandoned, as busses supersede streetcars, it often becomes necessary to remove the tracks from a citysstreets. The cost of such removal in the case of underground lines, runsinto very large sums. In an effort to reduce noise and vibration and toprovide smooth riding for the cars it has been the practice to supportthe rails upon heavy foundations which include large metallic cradlesand many yards of concrete and macadam in which the cradles and railsare embedded.

Broadly stated the machine of the invention contemplates the provisionof a large and heavy frame adapted to completely span a track and,through hydraulic power mechanism embodied therein, to impart a powerfulupward pull upon a lift plug disposed in the underground conduit whichformerly held the third rail. This lift plug is connected to the powermechanism by a plate upstanding from the lift plug through the plow slotof the track, to a point above ground, where it is engaged by thehydraulic power mechanism.

Railways of the character designed to be removed by the apparatus ofthis invention are originally laid by disposing in the ground, atsuitably spaced intervals, tie forming, cradles 5. To upper fiatsurfaces 6, adjacent the outer ends of these cradles the conventionaltrack rails 7 are bolted or otherwise secured. Horizontal portions 8 ofangle irons are secured to the upper web 9 of the cradle and verticalportions 10 of said angle irons face each other but lie in spacedrelation, to leave between them the usual slot 11 in which the currentcollecting plow of a street car may travel. The upper web 9 of thecradle is dished as indicated to leave space to receive the pavingmaterial 12.

The cradles are embedded in masses 13 of concrete and a conduit 14 isformed in the concrete to extend lengthwise of the track and betweenrails 7 and into which conduit the plow slot 11, opens. The cradles haveopenings 14a through them which align with conduit 14. The parts so fardescribed form no part of the invention but represent the elements thatare to be removed. In effecting such removal I employ an apparatusincluding a very strong and heavy frame, comprising a horizontal headmember 15, and end members 15a. These may be made in any desired way,within the skill of the structural steel engineer. In the particularform chosen for purposes of illustration the head member is made up of apair of stout I beams 16 which are tied together by strong plates 17.

The end members 15a comprise base portions 18 and braces 19, by whichthe base portions are tied to the head member. The base portionscomprise the I beams 20 and they may be underlaid by skid plates 21having upturned ends 22, pierced by openings 23. Said openings 23 areprovided for the connection of chains or other draw devices throughwhich tractors may be connected to the bases 18 to move the apparatusalong the track as section after section is ripped out.

A pair of large and very powerful hydraulic cylinders 24 with theirpiston rods 25 is supported upon one of the plates 17 with the rods 25extending downwardly between the I beams 16. Head member 15 carries aconventional engine 26, hydraulic pump 27 and oil reservoir 28, withinwhich the pressure fluid supply, oil for example, is contained. Aconventional pressure fluid system has been indicated consisting of asuction or supply line 27a leading from reservoir 28 to the pump. Adischarge pipe 27b leads from the pump to the casing of a conventionalfour way valve 27c, the operating handle of which is indicated at 272. Aline 27 leads from valve 270 to the upper end of the associated cylinder24 and a like line 27g leads from valve 270 to the lower end of saidcylinder. An exhaust line 29 leads from valve 27c back to reservoir 28.Thus with handle 27e in one position pressure fluid from 27b will bedischarged through the valve and through 27g to the lower end ofcylinder 24 to elevate the piston rod 25 and its piston 25a, While atthe same time any oil in the top of the cylinder will be exhaustedthrough27f and exhaust line 29 to the reservoir. With handle 27c inanother position the valve will connects 27b with 27 and the pressurefluid will enter the top of the cylinder while any oil beneath thepiston will .pass through 27g to exhaust line 29. This arrangement maybe duplicated for the companion hydraulic cylinder. However, these oilcircuits are conventional and form no part of the invention. Eitherpiston rod may be actuated independently of the other, or both may beactuated at the same time. When both are actuated, great power isexerted when extra heavy work is being done while when lighter work isbeing done only one cylinder is used and faster action is had.

The lower ends of the piston rods pivotally engage pins 31, which pinspass through a pair of spaced lift plates 33 and 34. The piston rodsenter between said plates and their lower ends are traversed by the saidpins. The lift plates are, as shown, triangular in shape and they areconnected at their lower portions with a triangular plate like web 35,the apex of which enters between the lift plates 3?: and is traversed bya stout pin 36. This pin also passes through the lower portion of thelift plates and its ends project a material distance outwardly of thelift plates. Bearing blocks 37 are mounted upon the projecting portionsof the pins and to these bearing blocks drag clamps 38 are pivotallyconnected at 39. These drag clamps include turnbuckles 40 in theirlength for adjustment of their effective length and they are providedwith upwardly facing hooks 41 at their outer ends, which hooks areadapted to hook beneath rails 7 close to the sides of the cradles. Theclamps are preferably so disposed that one clamp engages its railadjacent one side of "the cradle and the other clamp engages its railclose to the other side of the cradle.

A lift plug 42 which is carried by the web 35 is, when the track is tobe rippedup, entered in conduit 14 at one of the usual man holes (notshown) which are located at spaced intervals along the railway track,the web 35 then extending upwardly through the plow slot 11. 'Theliftplug may be formed in any desired manner. It is here shown as beingformed by slitting a section 43 of large steel pipe along one side, forthe entry of the web. The web is extended to the bottom of the plug andwelded securely to the pipe section, both at the bottom of the sectionand all along the slit in said section at the top of the plug. The pipemay then be filled with concrete 43a to strengthen the plug to resistcrushing.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The lift plug having been disposed in. the conduit and the books of theclamps having been engaged with the trackrails as described, pressurefluid is admitted to the lower portions of one or both of the hydrauliccylinders to force the piston rods upwardly. This results in dragging awhole section of track out of the ground, includ- '-ing the cradle, thetrack rails, the slot forming angle irons and a huge mass of concreteand macadam which is adhering to the cradle. After a section has beenripped out the rails and angle irons are cut with acetylene torches orother means and the mass of concrete with adhering parts may be liftedby a crane to a truck to be carted away. The heavy end members of themain frame, with "the skid plates, act, during the ripping outoperation, -to press downwardly upon the adjacent areas of paving, "oversuch a considerable area and with such force as to reduce damage toadjacent areas of paving, to a minimum.

Since the cradles are embedded, as stated in huge masses of concrete, itfollows that to try to remove these tracks with hand labor would involvetremendous costs .in labor, even with pneumatic chisels, hammers and thelike. By the use of the apparatus of my invention; moving it fromsection to section and ripping out said sections :by means of the verypowerful hydraulic cylinders, the work may be done rapidly and atgreatly reduced cost.

The invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth butincludes within its purview whatever :changes fairly fall within theterms or the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device for removing underground railways of the type having aplow slot and an underground conduit with which said slot communicates,said slot being defined by longitudinally extending, spaced angle irons,a lifting device comprising a frame of a size to span the track and tobear upon the roadway upon opposite sides thereof, lift elementscomprising a hydraulic lift cylinder and apiston rod uponsaid frame, alift plug dimensioned to enter the conduit and provided with anupstanding member which projects upwardly through said slot and meansfor engaging the lift elements with said upstanding member, said plugbeing of such greater transverse dimension than the plow slot and theangle irons which define said slot, that when said plug is drawnforcibly upward it engages and lifts not only said angle irons but alsoportions of the conduit forming materials.

2. A structure as recited in claim 1 comprising a plurality of saidhydraulic cylinders and piston rods, lift plates with which both of thepiston rods are engaged and means for connecting the lift plates to theupstanding member.

3. A structure as recited in claim 1 comprising a pair of cylinders andpiston rods upon the frame, a pair of lift plates between which thelower ends of the piston rods are pivoted thereto, the upper end of theupstanding member-entering between the lift plates and a pivot pintraversing the lift plates and the upstanding member.

4. In apparatus of the character described for removing railways of thecharacter comprising track rails, members forming a plow slot extendinglongitudinally between said rails, an underground conduit extendinglongitudinally between the rails into which the plow slot opens, and aplurality of transverse cradles to which the track rails are attached, aframe dimensioned to span the railway and bear upon the roadway at eachside thereof, an elongated stout lift plug .much greater in lateraldimension than the plow slot shaped to enter the conduit, asubstantially flat web carried by the plug and upstanding through theplow slot, hydraulic lift devices upon the frame, means for engaging theupstanding web with the lift devices and rail engaging clamps havingrail engaging .hooks at their outer ends, the inner end of said clampsbeing attached to the lift devices.

5. A structure as recited in claim 4 wherein the hydraulic lift devicescomprise at least one vertical hydraulic cylinder and depending pistonrod, a lift plate to which the lower end of the piston rod is pivotedand a pivot pin traversing the web and the lift plate.

6. A structure as recited in claim 4 wherein the hydraulic lift devicescomprise at least one vertical hydraulic cylinder and depending pistonrod, a lift plate to which the lower end of the piston rod is pivotedand a pivot pin traversing the web and the lift plate and a pair of railengaging clamps pivotally supported from the pivot pin and having railengaging hooks at their outer ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS262,018 Desmond Aug. 1, 1882

